Oropher & Thranduil: Meeting The Twins
by SivanShemesh
Summary: Oropher wanted time with Thranduil, who wanted nothing but his pet back. What could possibly go wrong? Hint: Twins fox trouble. Written for LOTR Yule Challenge 2014 for


Recipient's name: keiliss

Request: _I'd like first or second age, a group of elves on a road trip (no more than one Feanorian), and the phrase 'this is meant to be fun'. Bonus points for holly or a fox._

Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Beta: Aranel

Written for LOTR Yule Challenge 2014.

* * *

><p>"Adar, please tell Red to come back…" Thranduil asked his father.<p>

Oropher looked at his son. For all his fifty odd years of age, he might as well have been a five-year-old that had just lost his favorite toy. But how could he ignore the pleading?

"Lord Oropher! Lord Oropher!" a guard called breathlessly.

"What is it?" Oropher asked.

"We have company – Noldorin elves," the guard replied.

"Couldn't they have waited in the caves instead of interrupting our road trip?" Oropher grumbled. He had moved east with his kin to escape the ravages of the War, and yet he could barely enjoy time with his son. Thranduil, meanwhile, had dismounted from his stag.

In the distance he could make out an elf on a horse with two elflings atop ponies: Maglor and the two children he had adopted as his own. Oropher smiled as how one of the elflings rocked unsteadily on his pony. "Help them," he told his guard. "I could use some company, and so could my son."

"As you wish, my lord." The guard bowed and left.

A few minutes later, Oropher watched amused as the dark-haired elves joined them among shouts of warning and worry.

"Elrond, Elros! Don't you dare wander off!"

"But ada…" one of them protested.

Oropher could see that the elflings were clearly twins. He had not heard much of them, save that they were the sons of Eärendil.

"Lots of animals here, ada, I want to see."

"Final warning or else…"

Oropher descended from his elk.

"_Mae govannen_, Maglor Fëanorion," Oropher greeted the elf. "What brings you all the way to these lands?"

Maglor sighed. "Beleriand is no place for the young," he said.

Oropher nodded in comprehension. "You are welcome to stay here for a time. I have heard of your compassion and I will give you shelter."

"_Hannon le_," Maglor smiled. But his smile was quickly cut off. "Elrond! What have I been telling you?"

"But it was Elros!"

"Neither of you are behaving well! Come here and greet Lord Oropher!"

Maglor sighed heavily. It felt as though the two young ones were abusing his compassion. Why had he chosen to adopt them? They were after all the children of one who had escaped with the Silmaril. And now that he had the goodwill to keep them safe from the ongoing slaughter in the West, they seemed ready to wreak havoc on any foreign land they found themselves in. They and their curiosity would be the death of him.

"_Suilad_!"

"Elros, mind your manners," the other twin whispered fiercely. "_Mae govannen, Hîr Oropher_."

Oropher smiled in reply and turned to his own son. "Welcome to these lands. This is Thranduil, my son."

"I like your horse," Elros said.

"It's a deer, an elk," Elrond whispered to him.

"How do you know?"

"It's in ada's book."

Thranduil looked at them. "What are your names?" he asked.

"I'm Elros and that's Elrond."

"Do you read a lot, Elrond?"

"I read when I can."

"Then you must know a lot. Would you like to help me find Red?"

"I want to help too…" Elros called and hurried after them.

Oropher sighed heavily and called after his son. "Thranduil, do not get too far. Who knows what evil lurks in the dark."

Thranduil nodded and ran on, the twins following him. Oropher motioned for two guards to watch over the elflings.

"Now that frees us to speak," Oropher turned to Maglor with a smile. "I can barely keep up with Thranduil. How do you keep up with these much younger twins?"

"Oh, this is a good day for them. The rest of the time, even orcs would fear them," Maglor replied, laughing.

"That keeps them safe, then." Oropher laughed.

Were two guards enough? He certainly hoped so.

* * *

><p>"Red, come back here. Red…" Thranduil called on. He smiled when Elros – or was it Elrond? – caught up with him. He had no way of telling who was who.<p>

"Why Red?" one of them asked.

"He is my pet fox. Does it not suit him?" Thranduil asked.

A twin looked about to object but the other cut in quickly, "Of course, it fits well."

"Red, please come back, I miss you," Thranduil called as loudly as he could.

There was a shuffling noise. Thranduil turned sharply to his left and rushed into the bushes. Elros stepped in but was pulled back by Elrond. The guards hesitated, one of them straining to see deeper into the trees. Nodding in unspoken agreement, he stepped in cautiously.

Thranduil slowed down as the sound stopped. He saw a rain of leaves, green leaves falling on his face, embracing him. He heard what seemed to be a crack of a branch. He looked into the distance.

"Red!" he called excitedly. His fox was racing toward him. He bent down to carry the agitated creature. Then he looked up. Coming closer were strange and ugly faces. Those creatures held blades.

The forest fell silent. Then a scream pierced through, scattering the birds from their perches. And another scream.

The twins turned toward the guard, wide-eyed. Young as they were, they recognized the danger. Without a word, the guard scooped them up in his arms and ran for reinforcements.

Oropher and Maglor were already hurrying over with the rest of the guards. The twins, once set on the ground, stumbled towards Maglor while Oropher spoke with the guard.

Maglor knelt beside them, hugging them close. The fear was evident in their eyes and he whispered what assurance he could. By the time Oropher came to join them, they were sitting on the ground, still looking somewhat dazed.

"What did you see?" Maglor asked them finally.

"I did not see anything. I…I could only feel the trees. The shadows covered them and nothing else."

"I've never seen a fox run so fast," the other twin added softly.

Maglor looked at the elf-lord. They both knew what that meant; evil had found Thranduil. Most of the guards had already gone after Thranduil. Anxious as he was, Oropher did not wish to risk leaving the rest of their company defenseless.

There was some rustling in the bushes and the twins tensed up at once.

"Red," Elros said.

Elrond choked as he echoed his twin. "Blood."

Maglor rose protectively over the twins as the fox flew by in a flurry of red fur. The fox paused for a moment as though disorientated, then came back, into Elros's open arms.

"He's hurt," Elrond said, running his hand down the trembling creature as Elros hugged it close. There was an open wound on its curled tail.

"Don't touch the wound," Oropher said gently. "Our healers will take care of him."

There was however no sign of Thranduil. "Thranduil, _ion nîn_," Oropher called fretfully, "where are you?"

The guards returned, grim expressions on their faces as they reported to Oropher what they had found. The orcs had never ventured this far, especially not in the day. But Oropher's gaze wandered first to the prone body carried by two of the guards.

"Thranduil." He hurried over at once.

"He was cut but a poisoned blade."

Oropher nodded. "We return immediately."

* * *

><p>"What is that?" Elrond asked curiously.<p>

The healer smiled obligingly, not too pleased about the interruption as he prepared the salve. "This is _athelas_, a very useful herb against dark poisons. It is often a base element in any medicine."

"What kind of dark poisons?" Elrond asked again.

"Oh, anything. The poison you find on orc weapons, for example." The healer shot him a warning look.

"What about that other herb?" he could not resist the question as even Elros tried to shush him.

Maglor smiled as Elrond finally gave up. The twins were far calmer now. They were strong and they would overcome their fear soon enough. Oropher was seated beside Thranduil, trying hard not to let his worry show. The elfling was on a mattress spread on the ground, still unconscious. The healer returned to apply the herbs on the wound.

Elrond came up to Maglor and whispered in his ear. "Are they healing Red too?"

Maglor looked around. There was nothing he could do here in any case. He stood up. "Let's have a look," he said, taking Elrond's hand and motioning for Elros to join them.

The elves made their homes in the safety of the trees but it was considered more practical to keep supplies in the caves. Injuries were now tended to here as well and Oropher's foresight meant a well-stocked apothecary and well-connected caverns.

The fox had been brought to an adjoining cavern, for fear of any disturbance to Thranduil. It had just awoken and was running around in a panic. The elves had tied him loosely to a stump but it was not liking the idea at all, leaving the healer to try vainly to catch it.

Elros gave a small laugh at the sight before Maglor shot him a look. Elrond stepped into the fox's path but it eluded him. "Red," he called. "It's okay, you're safe." The fox slowed down slightly and turned. Elros bent over, opened his arms and the fox ran into his embrace.

"I think he likes you," the healer said, somewhat out of breath.

Elros pulled the rope off the fox. "Stay here," he said, letting the creature curl up on the table. The wound on its tail had been cleaned, as had been the scratches on its body.

"He's breathing very fast," Elrond said.

The healer could not hide his sarcasm. "Perhaps it should not try to chase its tail."

Elrond looked thoughtful all the same as the healer left for his herbs. Maglor was surprised that the elfling had not begun interrogating the healer on herbs this time around.

"What are you doing?" Elros stood protectively in front of the fox as the healer returned. Maglor noticed that the healer had brought a blade over.

"I am putting some more herbs into the wound. It is a very bad wound and I may need to cut deeper to make sure it heals." Elros frowned and Maglor pulled him away.

"Elros, he's an adult, he knows how to use a blade," Maglor tried to reassure the child. "He will make sure Red is not hurt."

Elrond, however, had concerns of his own. "He's still breathing very fast," he said.

The healer nodded grimly as he sedated the fox. "Those filthy orcs," he muttered.

"What is that?" Elrond asked finally, pointing to the herb the healer had just used.

"That makes him sleep," the healer replied. "This way, I should have three hours to sew up his wound."

"What is that herb called?" Elrond asked again.

The healer looked at him and for a moment, Elrond thought about the impatience of the other healer. He stepped back defensively but the healer only smiled. "Why don't I show you that later? Could you help me with these other herbs first?" he suggested.

Elrond beamed and nodded. The healer deepened the wound carefully. "First, I'll need some _athelas_," he said. "It's the one on the– Oh, thank you."

Maglor could have laughed at the healer's surprise. No one should ever underestimate what a determined elfling could learn. Elros was watching the fox, patting its head somewhat absent-mindedly.

"And this that the humans call Ilex aquifolium, what does it do?" Elrond asked.

"It purges poison but I leave it around because it looks nice," the healer answered. "Oh, and it tastes good too."

At long last the healer seemed satisfied. He had Elrond thread a needle and then he stitched the wound close.

"What happens now?" Elrond asked.

"Something very important," the healer answered. "The wounds will start to heal and we must make sure that everything is normal."

"That means that Red should be asleep and breathe slowly?" Elrond asked.

"Yes. Of course, it should wake up in about half an hour, and that is when you call me if I'm not back yet," the healer continued.

"Where are you going?" Elros joined in the conversation.

"To the privy," the healer answered and gave Maglor a wink. Elrond wondered why he took some of the Ilex aquifolium with him.

"Its claws are sharp." the healer reminded them. "It might panic when it wakes up and scratch anything – or anyone."

The twins nodded solemnly.

* * *

><p>Maglor had left five minutes ago to check on Thranduil, and the twins were growing increasingly restless. They could not see anything happening to the fox and Elros was already starting to pace around the cavern.<p>

"Is Thranduil okay?" he asked Elrond who only shrugged.

"Let's see Thranduil too," Elros suggested.

"What about Red?" Elrond asked. It was not time to call the healer yet. Besides, he had no idea where the privy was.

Elros thought for a moment. "We'll bring him along!"

Having decided on that, Elros carried the fox carefully and they scooted out. Neither elfling was entirely sure of the way and it took them a few false starts before they were sure of the corridor they had taken.

"Elros," Elrond began hesitantly. "You need to put Red down."

Elros did not seem concerned. "Why? He's only waking up."

"Remember, he has sharp claws," Elrond added pointedly.

"This is meant to be fun!" Elros shouted as he started running, especially as the fox began to squirm around. By the time they reached the other cavern, Elros was barely managing to hold Red still and had invented a few curses of his own.

The other elves present turned at the commotion.

"Red!" Thranduil exclaimed as the creature finally wrestled itself out of Elros's grasp. The fox landed on Thranduil and he cried out in surprise. And suddenly screamed in pain.


End file.
